ANR leadership thanks Barbara Allen-Diaz

As UC ANR Vice President Barbara Allen-Diaz completes her successful 30+ year career with the University of California, we want to thank her for her contributions to the Division. For several years, the Division has been guided by our Strategic Vision, of which she was a key architect. In bringing the Strategic Vision to life, she initiated the ANR Competitive Grants Program to target resources at critical issues where policy-relevant impacts could be achieved. She also led the development of a thorough process, involving significant internal and external review and input, to identify critical Cooperative Extension Advisor and Specialist positions and made the bold decision to aggressively rebuild the Cooperative Extension footprint across the state.

Her leadership, perhaps best described by UC President Janet Napolitano as “decisiveness with charisma,” resulted in numerous advancements for UC ANR including consolidation of many units into one location on Second Street in Davis; increased direct support for CE positions from several stakeholder/commodity groups; development of two institutes – California Institute of Water Resources and Nutrition Policy Institute; designation of three new statewide programs – Master Food Preservers, California Naturalists, and Informatics and GIS Program; hiring of 90+ Cooperative Extension Specialists and Advisors, with 45+ scheduled to be hired in 2015-2016; among many others. 

She has been cited by many UC stakeholder groups as rebuilding the connection to, and relationship with, them and the University of California throughout the state.

While we focus on thanking her for her leadership accomplishments, her scholarly accomplishments should also be noted.  Perhaps best illustrating her academic impacts are recognition by the Society for Range Management with the Frederic G. Renner Award for her career achievements, and her role in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change where she led the effort to determine climate change impacts on rangeland – an effort that was part of the team who shared in the Nobel Peace Prize.

Barbara is transitioning to a well-deserved retirement and we want to thank her for her tireless efforts in advancing ANR, Cooperative Extension and the Research and Extension Center System, through education and advocacy with leadership and partners within and outside the UC system to position the Division in its rightful place as a valuable statewide arm of the University.

Bill Frost, Interim Vice President

Tu Tran, Associate Vice President, Business Operations

Lisa Fischer, Associate Director, Research and Extension Center System

Chris Greer, Vice Provost, Cooperative Extension

Jan Corlett, Chief of Staff to the Vice President

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